A lunch lady was fired after giving a hungry student a meal for free

Dalene Bowden, a food service worker at Irving Middle School in Pocatello, Idaho, was fired after she says she gave a student a free lunch.

Bowden told the Idaho State Journal that the 12-year-old student told her she couldn’t pay for the meal, so she let her gave it for free. Days later, Bowden was put on leave, and after that she received a termination letter informing her that she had been fired for stealing school property. Bowden told the Journal that she offered to pay for the $1.70 meal, but was denied.

A petition to get Bowden rehired has over 45,000 signatures. In a statement, the mayor of Pocatello said the firing was the school district’s decision, and he planned to meet with the superintendent to discuss the matter.